(originally posted on May 6, 2016)

Every thought about going to one of these events but didn’t know what to expect? Well here’s my lil review. 😉

Ok , So we (kinda, the kids and I) actually had a free weekend- which is few and far between, so I decided to check out what events were going on at our closest state park…

I found this “Go Fish” event at Cedar Hill State Park where kids (and adults) can learn the basics of fishing.

I’ve always wanted to take my boys to this but we’ve always been busy. Plus I always had these questions rolling around in my head-

Would it be worth it?

What would we actually learn?

Also, I mean we kinda already know the basics of fishing… But kinda knowing and being taught by people who know more than you gives you more confidence to get out there. So, you know, I was like yes, let’s go…why not? There’s always potential to learn something new!

Everything was provided, all I really had to do was put my kids in the car and drive!

So I’m going to start by saying, we had SO MUCH FUN! It was well organized, had great knowledgeable, friendly volunteers, and my boys were engaged and learning.

(Have you ever taken your kids fishing and they wrestle in the background, fight, throw rocks and ask for food while you do ALL of the work to get the pole ready, then hand it off and start on the next pole, then kid 1 brings pole 1 back because the worm fell of or the line’s tangled, so when you finish pole 2, you have to fix pole 1 again? We have, not fun and actually it’s the never ending cycle of poles 1,2,and3) SSSeeee, that’s why they needed to go to this. Otherwise they get frustrated and my husband and I have to do all the work. Okay, moving on.

First Off: Don’t worry about being late, I was worried, we were late, and it didn’t matter BECAUSE of how it’s set up…Thank the Lord.

Here’s how it went…

The Set Up:

There were tables that were set up as stations with 2 volunteers that covered the basics of fishing. When you finished one station, you just moved onto the next, in any order.

The stations were:

Littering and pollution- Keeping our rivers, lakes and streams clean.
Different types of fish (they even had small fish toys as examples).
How to thread the fishing line through a hook and knot, how and where to put on the sinker and bobber.
Different types of bait and tackle box basics.
Different types of fish, how to hold them, remove them from the hook and also fishing regulations, what you can keep and what you need to release back into the water.
Knot tying.
Casting (someone would show them how to cast and they would try to catch a silicone fish).

The event was scheduled from 9 to 12, but whenever it looked like everyone had done every station the volunteers then took the children and parents to a perch pond. They already had fishing poles lined up and ready to go, so all we had to do was grab one!

The perch pond was good. The people hosting the event had bait for us to use, which was worms and corn. On my sons first cast he got the line severely tangled. I worked on it for a bit but then I asked a volunteer who took it and had it untangled in no time, thankfully!

My 5 year old son had one of the volunteers helping him the whole time, which was awe-some.

So is some basic info:

What we found: Moms and dads bringing their kids to learn a new skill.

Cost: The cost of daily admission into the state park. For us it was $7 because there was just 1 adult.

Perfect for: Anyone wanting to learn the basics of fishing! There is no shame in not knowing something that you’ve never been taught 😉

Adventure Level: Beginner

Is this event worth it? For me, yes. I wanted my kids outside, I wanted to get them more interested in the hobby of fishing, I wanted them to learn the basics and gain confidence, I wanted to spend time together and not spend a lot of money, I didn’t want to have to do a lot of work. All of these things were accomplished.

The Bonus’s:

Each kids was sent home with a bag full of EXCELLENT resources on fishing, plus a TPWD angler fish pin to go on their jackets or shirts.

Did I mention that we didn’t have to bring ANYTHING!?!

Now when I say “Let’s go fishing” they won’t feel uncertain about the basics, instead they can focus on improving so it CAN be a stress- free family hobby! My favorite.